BC-AP--World-Cup-Digest, AP

BC-AP--World-Cup-Digest, AP

BC-AP--World-Cup-Digest, AP

Jul. 09, 2014

The AP World Cup Digest at 10 p.m. EDT (0200 GMT). The supervisor of the World Cup desk in Rio de Janeiro is Simon Haydon. The desk can be reached at 0055 21 348 264 84.

TOP STORIES:

WCUP-BRAZIL-GERMANY

BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil — With Neymar out injured, just about everyone in Brazil knew it would be tough against Germany. Nobody ever expected this. The Germans tore apart Brazil's porous defense time and time again Tuesday, routing the hosts 7-1 in the World Cup semifinals, the largest margin of defeat at this stage in the history of the tournament. By Chris Lehourites. SENT. 700 words.

WCUP-GERMANY-KLOSE

BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil — Miroslav Klose found perhaps the only way to make matters worse for Brazil. On a night when Germany routed the host nation 7-1 in the World Cup semifinals, Klose also became the tournament's all-time record scorer — surpassing Brazil great Ronaldo. By Nesha Starcevic. SENT. 400 words.

WCUP-BRAZIL WATCHES

RIO DE JANEIRO — The tears started flowing before half time, and by the end of a 7-1 shellacking in the World Cup semifinal, millions across Brazil were in dazed, damp-eyed disbelief. The national team wasn't just defeated by a powerful German team. It was routed in front of the entire world, humiliated at its own party. Young and old, Brazilians shared in the anguish of what many called a national calamity — the worst loss in their team's storied World Cup history. By Jenny Barchfield and Adriana Gomez Licon.

NEW/DEVELOPING:

WCUP-TICKET SCALPING

RIO DE JANEIRO — A World Cup ticket scalping case has revived a reputation FIFA tries hard to fight, and threatens to stain a tournament which has been better than critics expected. Football's international governing body and its president Sepp Blatter have tried to present a new face in recent years after so many allegations of vote-buying and top officials seeming entitled by seeking favors. By Graham Dunbar. SENT. 700 words.

WCUP-JOHN LEICESTER-080714

BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil — Even for an 84-year-old tournament drenched in history, Germany 7, Brazil 1 — you read that right — will be remembered as one of the craziest World Cup matches ever. Because of the humiliation it inflicted on a great footballing nation, as one of the most painful to watch, too. Brazil, the once mighty Brazil, the Brazil that gave the world Pele, so many other great players and yellow-shirted delight, throwing itself like a herd of lemmings off a cliff. Not just a team self-destructing, but an entire nation's hopes and World Cup joy turning to vinegar and flushing down the drain on live TV before millions of disbelieving eyes around the globe. By John Leicester. SENT. 900 words.

WCUP-NETHERLANDS-ARGENTINA-COMPARISON

RIO DE JANEIRO — When Argentina plays the Netherlands in the World Cup semifinals on Wednesday, it will be a matchup of arguably the two best attacks in the tournament. No less than five of the world's best forwards could be on the field, which would normally raise expectations of a flurry of goals and end-to-end attacking football. But there's too much at stake for either team to push forward relentlessly, meaning that the game in Sao Paulo is about much more than its star strikers. By Mattias Karen. SENT. 700 words.

WCUP-BRAZIL-SCOLARI

BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil — Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari apologized to fans for failing to lead the host to the World Cup final, saying the "catastrophic" defeat to Germany on Tuesday marked the "worst day" of his professional life. "I have to apologize for the negative result, for not being able to reach the final as we all wanted," Scolari said, speaking calmly after the humiliating 7-1 loss. By Tales Azzoni. SENT. 500 words.

WCUP-GERMANY

BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil — Chance after chance was offered, and the Germany players just kept on taking them with clinical efficiency. In the end, not even they could scarcely believe the 7-1 World Cup semifinal win over Brazil. By Nesha Starcevic. SENT. 500 words.

WCUP-BRAZIL'S DEFENSE

BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil — Forget Neymar for a second and consider just how badly Brazil missed Thiago Silva in defense. The host nation's backline was relentlessly picked apart Tuesday in the World Cup semifinals, allowing Germany to score goal after goal in a 7-1 loss that will stand as a national embarrassment in a country credited with creating "The Beautiful Game." By Chris Lehourites. SENT. 500 words.

WCUP-BRAZIL-BIG DEFEAT

BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil — It was a humiliating home defeat of record proportions that no Brazilian could have seen coming. With its defense collapsing early and nobody able to spark the attack, Brazil conceded four goals in a seven-minute span, trailed 5-0 at half time and was routed 7-1 by Germany in the World Cup semifinals on Tuesday. By Tales Azzoni. SENT. 500 words.

WCUP-MIDEAST-THE POLITICS OF WATCHING

BEIRUT — With the World Cup in faraway Brazil coming at a time of unprecedented sectarian violence and soaring tension in the Middle East, some Arab football fans have been reduced to watching matches in secret or even — and this is where it gets complicated — on a TV channel owned by Israel. By Barbara Surk. SENT. 1,000 words.

WCUP-ARGENTINA-SABELLA

SAO PAULO — Normally a reserved man who avoids hype, Argentina coach Alejandro Sabella isn't shy about declaring Lionel Messi to be the best player in the world. Comparing the Argentina captain with Arjen Robben of the Netherlands and Brazil's Neymar, Sabella on Tuesday held up Messi as the undisputed No. 1. By Karl Ritter. SENT. 400 words.

WCUP-NETHERLANDS

SAO PAULO — Dutch captain and all-time top scorer Robin van Persie is in doubt for the World Cup semifinal against Argentina after succumbing to a stomach problem. Van Persie trained separately on Tuesday with defender Daryl Janmaat and coach Louis van Gaal said both were suffering "stomach and intestinal problems." By Mike Corder. SENT. 400 words.